There for you
by shadowwhisper123
Summary: On Atem's first night in the afterlife, Mana visits his room to keep him company and spend the night with him. At last, they are finally given a chance to talk about what happened since his death and simply be as they were. (Vaseshipping)


His room. His bed. Exactly as he had left them. When he had gone to afterlife of the ancient Egyptians, he had found that not all was as it was when he died. His uncle had found his youth again, and the buildings of the capital city which had been destroyed during the battle with the evil god, Zorc Necrophades, had been not been remade, but had been built as stronger, more advanced versions of their previous selves, under the guidance and leadership of Pharaoh Seto.

But his room had been left completely unchanged.

"That was nice of them," Atem thought, his lips curling into a small smile as he laid a hand on the soft, familiar,blankets. The more he stared at it, the more inviting it became, so he sat down on it and took off his clothes, allowing him to climb into it and go to sleep. The events of the day had left him utterly drained: saying goodbye to his precious friends in the modern world, his final duel and defeat at the hands of his partner-no, with Yugi, and his passage from the realm of the living into the realm of the dead, so he had respectfully requested of the members of his court that any celebration intended to celebrate his return be postponed until he was feeling more up to it.

Once he had finished undressing and putting away his clothes, Atem slipped his exhausted body beneath the sheets and propped a pillow under his head. He closed his eyes and tried to get himself to go to sleep. It was so quiet and he was lonely. Maybe once he had woken up in this place after a good, long rest, things would start to feel more natural again-

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"Prince? Prince, are you still awake?"

"Mana! Don't knock on his door so loudly!"

"But, Master, what if he's changing his clothes or something? I don't want to just barge in on him when he's in his room. I was trying to be polite…"

Mahad paused and then sighed. "Hm…well…good point."

The pharaoh grinned at the sounds of the familiar voices of his ancient friends and he sat up. "Yes, I'm still awake, Mana. Come in, both of you."

The master and apprentice entered the room. Mahad bowed and Mana gave a small, slightly awkward, yet still dainty curtsy. Atem suppressed a chuckle at the unfamiliar sight. She wasn't used to bowing in front of him. She treated him like everyone else. And he liked that about her.

"Will you be needing anything, my Pharaoh?" Mahad asked.

"We just wanted to check up on you and say good night,"Mana said, smiling at him.

"How are you doing?"

Atem answered Mahad first. "Thank you, but no, I don't need anything. I was just about to go to sleep."

Mana had a pensive expression for a brief moment before she spoke up again.

"Um, Prince?"

"What is it?"

"Would you mind if we…slept with you? Like how we all used to sleep in your bed together sometimes when we were kids?"

Mahad's face darkened a bit in embarrassment. "Mana, that is really not appropriate anymore! Besides, he only just got back and he must be exhausted. He won't be able to get proper rest with anyone else in his room."

Mana hung her head apologetically. "I guess you're right, Master. Sweet dreams, Prince. I'll get going now-"

"No, wait!" said the pharaoh, reaching out to them. "Actually…I wouldn't mind that. I think I'd like it."

Mahad's eyes widened in surprise. "Pharaoh…?"

"Yay!" Mana squealed, dashing over to the king's bedside and snuggling up to him under the covers. "This is gonna be so much fun! Master, are you gonna join us?"

"I-I really think that I had better not," Mahad replied, his visage darkening some more. But he couldn't help but smile at and be grateful for the sight of his beloved king looking happy again. The great magician bowed a second time. "Good night, your majesty. Good night, Mana. Sleep well."

"Thank you again, Mahad. Good night," said the pharaoh.

"Good night, master!" Mana called.

Mahad left the two of them alone in the king's chamber and closed the door. The pharaoh shifted back to give Mana more room, passed a pillow over to her and finally the two of them lay down together, facing each other.

"How are you, prince?" she asked quietly.

"You already asked me that," he said with a small smirk.

"Ah-oops!" she yelped.

"It's fine, it's fine! Don't worry about it."

"Oh, heh, okay."

Mana reached out and laid her hand on top of his. "I really missed you, prince," she said softly.

Atem wasn't sure how to respond to this. He wanted to say: "I missed you, too," but he hadn't even remembered her until several days ago.

"You were gone for such a long time."

"Yes, I was. But…you were there with me, Mana. Just like Mahad was with me as the Black Magician, you were there as the Black Magician Girl, weren't you?"

Mana beamed again. "That's right!"

"You helped me win so many battles. Thank you."

"Hee hee! You're welcome."

Their conversation dwindled off after that. Atem's mouth was compressed in a tight line and he was looking down, away from her. He looked like he wanted to say something or ask a question, but was afraid of saying it for the risk of sounding rude. Mana didn't like awkward silences like this and wanted him to be candid with her, like she was with him.

"Prince, if there's something on your mind, you can say it, you know."

Atem blinked and looked back up at her, his lips slightly parted.

"I won't get mad. So just say it. We're friends, aren't we?"

Atem took a deep breath to collect himself. "Mana…In the modern world I saw the records about Seto. About how he lived on as king after me. Everyone else who I knew died before I did, but…what happened to you?"

Mana's grip on her blankets tightened as she recalled that dark time.

_"An underground city?!" she cried. "But who's going to live there?"_

_The guard that she was speaking to, who she recognized because he had been under Mahad's command, answered: "I'm not allowed to say. His majesty the pharaoh has ordered me to not speak of this to anyone."_

_"Not even to me?" she asked in bewilderment. "But Lord-I mean-Pharaoh Seto trusts me, doesn't he?"_

_The guard sighed. "Mana, it's not that. He doesn't want word getting out about his secret plans. If word about this were to get out to the public, it will all be for nothing."_

_"But-"_

_"I can't risk saying anything more! I can't. Please forgive me."_

_"…All right."_

_Mana walked away from him, starting to wander aimlessly. The sorceress hugged herself. "What am I going to do now?" she thought. "Everyone's gone. Everyone."_

_The young woman made her way through the desert city and back in front of the palace. Ever since the battle with Zorc and the dark priest, she had gained the respect of the other palace guards and they no longer forbade her from entering the palace grounds. Eventually, she was inside the building that had been Mahad's shrine. Mana dragged herself up the stairs to where the Black Magician's tablet was. Once more she gazed at the image of her teacher carved into the rock._

_"Master, what should I do? First you sacrificed yourself, then Lord Karim, then Lord Shada, then Lady Isis, then Lord Shimon, and…I blacked out during the last stand against Zorc. When I woke up, the sun had come up, so, for a moment, I thought everything was okay again because the dark priest and the evil god were gone. I ran back to the battlefield and it was all so quiet…That's when I found them. The remaining soldiers were either hanging their heads or crying. But Lord Seto was kneeling on the ground. He didn't say anything or even look at me as I came dashing up to him. He was holding the prince…and the prince was…the prince is…dead. …He's dead! The prince is dead!"_

_Mana sank to the floor again. She slammed her fist against the hard stone as tears pricked her eyes like hot needles._

_"It's not fair! After everything you did… after everything we all did…after everything he did…he died! He's gone. He sacrificed himself to save Egypt because killing himself was the only way he could seal away Zorc! It's just not fair…And I don't know what to do. Everyone's gone…I don't know what I should do…I miss you all so much…"_

_She dragged herself forwards, resting her back against the tablet and pulled her knees to her chest._

_"So, you came to see him one last time, did you?"_

_She gasped and jolted up, then kneeled back on the ground again._

_"Pharaoh Seto, I-"_

_"It's all right."_

_Mana got to her feet. "Um…"_

_"Hm?"_

_"What did you mean: see my master one last time?"_

_"Ah, well, I've ordered that the Black Magician's tablet be buried with his majesty, the previous pharaoh. After all, he can only be called out of it by him and he swore to protect him with his soul for eternity."_

_Mana folded her hands. "That's what my master would want," she stated quietly. "The prince's soul is being put in the tomb tomorrow, right?"_

_"Yes. And when I am subsequently made officially king, I won't hold any coronation festivities. I know that's not according to custom, but all of the kingdom's resources must be poured into the repairing the damage done by Bakura and Zorc. The kingdom can't afford any festivities right now. And even if it could, holding a celebration in the wake of so many deaths would be disgraceful."_

_The sorceress nodded assent. "Still…maybe a party would help lift the people's spirits at least a little bit."_

_Seto shook his head solemnly. "No. The people of this country won't want there to be a celebration in my honor. They will never love me the way that they loved Pharaoh Atem. He was the child of the king that they loved dearly, and I'm the son of the man who betrayed everyone and brought Zorc into the world. And he was just, caring, benevolent and honorable. I want to protect this country just as much as he did, but I used brutal tactics that have made them fear me instead of respect me. And now I'm their king. I have to face this challenge, the greatest one I'll ever face, without anyone who I fought alongside and studied with. Over the course of one single day, I've lost the only woman I'll ever love…and the only man I've ever called a friend."_

_Mana brought her closed hand to her chest. "I'll stay with you," she said._

_He looked over at her. "I'll stay," she repeated. "I will. I've lost everyone I loved, too. And I won't even get to see them in the Next World. My master can't be called out by anyone other than the prince…and the prince has sealed himself inside the pieces of that Millenium Item forever. I may get to see Lord Shimon and Lady Isis and the others, but not my master and the prince…I loved them more than anyone…and I'll never, ever get to be with them again. At least my master will be able to rest, but the prince is trapped all alone with Zorc. Forever."_

_"No."_

_"What?"_

_"I don't accept that, Mana. He died to save everyone, so he has to be trapped all alone and suffer for the rest of time? I won't let that happen!"_

_Mana had seen that look in his eyes before. The look that meant that nothing was going to stand in his way. "What are you going to do? Please, Lord Seto, tell me! I promise I won't tell anyone. And I want to help!"_

_"If you're really going to promise me something like that, you must be prepared to accept the consequences if you fail to keep your word."_

_"Yes. I understand."_

_"Very well. As I have said, I will not allow the pharaoh's soul to be confined alone forever. I cannot reassemble the pieces of the pendant because if I did, Zorc would be revived as well. And we cannot defeat him. So we must wait. And I have ordered the creation of the tomb keeper clans: clans made of trustworthy and loyal people that will keep watch over the pharaoh's tomb and the Millenium Items after I pass into the Next World and wait until a worthy one who can reassemble the pieces of the pendant, bear the pharaoh's soul and help him regain his memories and defeat Zorc will arise. No matter how long it may take."_

_Seto held out his hand, beckoning her. "Come. There's something I wish to show you."_

_The former priest led the sorceress to the palace and then through a secret passageway that led to the underground city of the tomb keepers. He took her to a wall that was in the process of being carved. He handed her a sheet of papyrus._

_"This etching shows what I will eventually finish inscribing on this tablet."_

_"…To the place far away where souls meet…guide me…" she read aloud._

_"I don't know how, but when the pharaoh has to battle Zorc again, I will be there to help him save the world and banish that darkness from it. And I will help him unlock his memories so that he can attain the afterlife he deserves, with us. This tablet is my prayer and my oath."_

_Mana's fists tightened and she raised them up. "Me too! I want to be there, too! If the prince is fighting, then my master will be there alongside him as well. I want to fight with and be with them again, and I want to help save the world. After all that we worked and sacrificed for, we have to finish the job."_

_Another blank tablet lay next to the one that Seto was working on. The sorceress walked up to it, fire blazing in her eyes. She pressed her palm and fingertips into it. Mana inhaled, eyelids closed, and then she turned back to Seto. "And I need to make _sure_ that I _**_will_**_ be there. For the world, and for my friends."_

_Seto's brow furrowed and he frowned, not understanding what she meant at first. But when he did, his eyes widened and he appeared to be jolted._

_"Mana…you mean…You're going to-"_

_"Lord Seto, if you want me to stay, I will stay. But I want to help save the world. And I also want to follow in my master's footsteps, and help bring the prince back and fight with both of them. When we were little, we were always together. Also, Whenever one of us needed help, the other two would do all that they could to help. That was the way it was, and that's how it's going to be. Always."_

_Seto nodded. "If this is what you feel you should do, then you should do it. I won't hold you back."_

_Mana finally managed a smile. "Thank you." She glanced at the Millenium Rod that he continued to carry with him. "Will you help me, then?"_

_Another nod as he drew it out from his sash. "I will. You are certain that this is what you want?"_

_"Yes. I'm scared, but I have to do this."_

_Seto gave her a half-smile in return. "Gods protect you, Mana. Good luck. I only hope that I will see you again on that battlefield. And when we can all finally rest in peace together in paradise."_

_"Mm."_

_"I will see you there, Mana," called the voice of her teacher in her mind._

_Mana's wand materialized in her hand and she crossed her arms as the head of it glowed, and her ka, the Black Magician Girl, appeared beside her. The second spell she cast with both hands gripping the wand as hard as she could. Light flashed, and the brave, loyal sorceress fused herself with the being she had summoned from within her heart. Now it was his turn. At last, they bade each other one final farewell before he called upon the magic that sealed her into the tablet that she stood before._

"That's why I was there as the Black Magician Girl with you and my master," she concluded.

Atem was awestruck by this tale. "Mana…" he whispered. "You sacrificed yourself as well…"

"Mm-hm." She noticed the melancholy expression on his face. "But it all paid off in the end. We did it. That darkness is gone, and now we're all safe here and we have a new life." She snuggled closer to him, burying her face in his chest. "Together."

He wrapped his arms around her and smiled again. "That's right."

She reciprocated his hug. "I'm so glad and I can finally touch you and talk to you again. I know it's not going to be easy, coming back after having been gone for so long, but I'll be here."

"Just like you always have been," he thought, watching her fall asleep. "And I can finally be here for you, again," he said aloud quietly.

When the pharaoh closed his eyes in peaceful slumber, still encircled by Mana's arms, he felt that everything was going to be all right and that all was truly as it should be. He would always remember Yugi, Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, Otogi, Mai, Bakura, and Kaiba, and they would remember him as they cherished their loved ones and lived out their own lives, followed their own dreams, and made their own stories. And he wouldn't have had it any other way.

He and Mana had passed away from the first world, but now they had found a new life in the eternal realm.

A life that, like everything else, they would face together.

* * *

AN: My first Vaseshipping fic! This was lots of fun to write, so I hope you have fun reading it, too! ^^ but, as always please share any criticism or feedback you may may have. It's always highly appreciated whether its positive or negative.

Thank you!

Shadow

P.S: I know that this chapter doesn't have a whole lot of romance, but in the next chapter, there will be more (and maybe some love-making...)


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